Where to stay in Hua Hin, Thailand
I was in Huahin for a week, intending to try being a digital nomad, to be alone, in a foreign land and working off my computer. Huahin’s beach has very clean water and gentle waves with no boats in sight, save for 1 or 2 occasionally. Read more on what to do here. I didnt get an apartment as I wanted to stay in the different hotels to write this guide. I booked my hotel on a daily basis, often only on the day I'm checking out of the hotel I'm staying, using booking.com and agoda.com.
My recommendation is
1. Definitely choose a beachfront property even if the hotel rooms and amenities of the hotels away from the beach are great. It may look like they are a street away, or walking distance to the beach but the roads there are are not an enjoyable walk. Besides, you’re in Huahin, you need to wake up to the horizon and walk on the beach in the morning.
2. Choose a cheaper beachfront hotel on the days you're planning for tours, night market, massage, when you won’t be in the room the whole day. A large 3 star hotel is generally clean enough for you to shower and sleep on such days.
3. Move to a 5 star hotel on the days you intend to relax in the hotel and include breakfast. There are 5 stars boutique and luxurious international hotels and if you can, take the latter. The maintenance of the rooms and facility is much better and it is essential to note that the materials including tiles, sanitary ware, beddings, furnishings etc are premium. Service (and spoken english) is more professional and the hotel compound generally occupies bigger land, which means more activities, better facilities and landscaping and most importantly, space. It is necessary to feel calm and free. It seems the better the hotel, the cleaner the beachfront too!
4. Weekday rates are better so consider planning stays at luxurious hotels then. Cha Am hotels are also more affordable and offer a very peaceful beach compared to Hua Hin. It is far from the night markets, shopping mall and massage services so be sure to do what you need to do at Huahin and only go to the best hotels in Cha Am when you intend to soak in the beach vibes within the hotel.
3 stars at SG$50/night without breakfast
This is an old hotel but has been refurbished. The room was very basic but provided what was necessary for 1 night's stay. Whilst there were slides and kids pool, the water seemed rather murky. There were horses waiting to be rode for a fee. Seashells and stones lay on the shore bed during low tide so it's best not to walk bare footed. It was also close to a river that led to a stagnant pool of water near the beach and gave off a slight stench of stale-algae-filled water. However, I am impressed with the breakfast selection great for the standard of the hotel, with kids, superfood, thai coffee/tea, asian and soup stations with local vibes. I paid THB220 for breakfast upon check-in. Online rates for the add on was THB350.
Whilst this is not recommended for fussy guests, its okay if you’re out for tours the whole day and only back to crash.
4 stars at S$70/night with breakfast
This was the first and only hotel I stayed in that was near to Huahun's main area and beach. The beach front hotels at Huahin are more expensive and after exploring the beach, I realised it's too crowded too. The facilities were sufficient, with a pool, gym and table tennis table. The location, unfortunately, is rather inconvenient with only an area of go-go bars on its left and food village on its right. Although it shows on the map that it's right across market village, there was no pavement leading to it. The hotel is also right in front of a railway track so it is noisy through day and night as the train passes. The bars operate till 2am so you will hear music till then too. Make sure you have ear plugs if you're a light sleeper. The room, though nicely designed, was dark and didn't offer a resort feel. It felt more like a house in a condominium than a hotel.
5 stars at S$92/night with breakfast
I walked to the beach front of this hotel whilst I was staying in Dusit Thani Huahin and decided to book it as I saw that it was 5 stars and wanted to see the difference, which was by the way, very apparent. This is more like a boutique hotel so the vibe is more casual, an opposite of the professionalism from luxurious hotel, even though both are 5 stars. The concierge is rather sloppy although the receptionists and other staff are polite. I was offered a room at the highest floor and they are huge - the biggest of all that I’ve stayed and offers a terrific view of the sea. The upkeep of the room is not as good as Dusit Thani but offers comfortable stay. Bathroom though, is too basic for 5 stars. They have buffet spread of continental breakfast and ala carte for mains which was good and we can take our breakfast to the beach bar and that offers a great view and start to the morning. The pool is rather small and there weren’t any other facilities offered in the property.
5 stars at $128/night wo breakfast; $140/night with breakfast
Needless to say, this was the best and I spent 2 nights here. The luxurious resort occupies the area from the main road to the beachfront so the roads are well paved and manicured landscapes greet you as you drive in. Concierge and receptionist were extremely professional, attentive and speaks good english. They have activities through the day for their guests - From yoga to taichi to aerobic muay thai to beach volleyball and runs which are complimentary. It shares common areas like the gym, the lawn, tennis court, spa house and beach with its residence. The resort features spacious rooms and suites with elegant decor, private balconies, views of the Gulf of Thailand and are extremely clean with superb bedding and marbled tiles. Breakfast spread was excellent, with 5 sections comprising of Chinese, Thai, Japanese, Indian, Malay and International fare.
After walking around, here are some hotels that I’d recommend:
Luxurious - InterContinental Huahin Resort (Best location in Huahin), Hyatt Regency Huahin, Huahin Marriot Resort and Spa, Hilton Huahin Resort and Spa (More mass-market luxury), Anatara Huahin Resort (No elevated seaview rooms), Sheraton Huahin, VALA Huahin, SO / Sofitel Huahin (Most kids friendly)
Good Local - U Huahin, The Rock Huahin, Ace of Huahin, The Standard Huahin